- Onyeama Exonerates Air Peace Of Any Wrongdoings
- Saudi Govt Warns Travellers To Review Documents To Ensure Conformity
The controversies surrounding the revocation of the visas of some Nigerians by the Saudi Arabian Government have refused to go away.
The Matrix reports that the crisis began on Monday, November 13, 2023, the Saudi Arabian government cancelled the visa of all the 264 passengers airlifted by one of Nigeria’s major carriers, Air Peace from the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano on Sunday night on arrival at King Abdul-Aziz International Airport, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia insisting that they be returned to Nigeria.
As a result, 177 passengers were made to return on the same flight back to Nigeria, while 87 passengers were cleared by immigration and allowed entry into Jeddah.
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Air Peace Allen Onyeama on Thursday described the Saudi visa incident as unusual, saying his airline followed every established protocol in airlifting Nigerians to the Middle East nation.
But Onyema has exonerated his airline of any wrongdoing.
“It looks unusual because we followed every protocol and procedure,” he said. “We are not in the business of issuing visas as an airline,” he said on Thursday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today.
Onyema explained that before the plane left for Saudi, the airline got clearance regarding the visa verification portal as well as the Advanced Passenger Information System put in place by the Saudi authorities.
“We put through there, it passed. We sent the manifest ahead, we got all those clearances before we left the country.
“What I am saying has been corroborated by the Saudi Arabian Embassy. What they are saying actually exonerated the airline. They said ‘they are not denying the fact that they (Nigerians) have visas.
“What they are saying they discovered is that the information they gave them was for the wrong visas. It is like maybe you are going for medical treatment and you procured a tourism visa,” he added.
Earlier, the Saudi Arabian government had finally shed more light on the controversy surrounding the deportation of some Nigerians upon entry into the Kingdom recently.
According to the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, the visas of the 177 Air Peace passengers from Nigeria upon Arrival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia were cancelled for violating the country’s entry rules.
The Saudi authorities defended the deportation in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Saudi Embassy in Abuja where it stated that the deported Nigerians submitted incorrect information to obtain a category of visa that did not apply to them, which was discovered upon their arrival.
The statement reads, “The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Abuja would like to make a clarification about the media reports and social media releases concerning the deportation of Nigerian citizens at the point of entry into the Kingdom.
“The passengers, who were denied entry, and subsequently deported to their initial destinations, did not fulfil the entry conditions and requirements in accordance with the applicable rules and regulations of the Kingdom, as they submitted incorrect information to obtain a category of visa that does not apply to them, which was discovered upon their arrival.’’
The Royal Embassy stressed the importance of following the procedures and laws enacted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for all visitors.
It stated, “The Royal Embassy would like to stress the importance of following the procedures and laws enacted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for all visitors.
“Furthermore, all passengers should review all the documents to determine their conformity with the conditions before departing from their countries to the Kingdom.
“This procedure was not limited to Nigerian citizens only, but rather to citizens of other countries.’’
The crisis has almost threatened the bilateral agreement between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia. It is coming on the heels of a recent trip by Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the Middle Eastern country to canvass foreign investment.
The Nigerian government also waded into the crisis promising to launch an investigation.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement made available to Channels Television on Tuesday, said it was “investigating the matter to see if any consular or aviation rules have been flouted.”
The statement was signed by Alkasim Abdulkadir, the Special Adviser on Media and Communications Strategy to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar.
According to Abdulkadir, the ministry will ensure such actions that impact the welfare of Nigerian citizens are mitigated in the future in line with what was described as the Four Ds strategy of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“Nigeria has just participated in the Saudi-Africa Summit where bilateral discussions covering several sectors of the economy and mutually beneficial commitments were made.”
It is left to be seen how this issue will be resolved.
